I've been riding a Bic Core 293 for a few years and am now ready to progress to a shorter and faster board.
I am 6 foot 2 inches (187.96 centimeters) and 190 pounds (86 kilos). ~40 years old.
Any recommendations on which board and what size would be a good first time short board?
Any advice or experiences that might help me pick a winner?

Ken

28th October 2010, 02:46 AM

A few questions first -

What sail(s) do you have?
Are you in the foot straps when planing?
Can you water start?
Can you gybe more than 50% of the time without falling?
Can you do a carving gybe?
Will you keep the Bic?

ejowsurf

28th October 2010, 04:14 AM

Thanks for the reply

>> What sail(s) do you have? 5.5, 6.3, 7.2
>> Are you in the foot straps when planing? Yes
>> Can you water start? No
>> Can you gybe more than 50% of the time without falling? Yes
>> Can you do a carving gybe? Sort of, a low-speed version anyway
>> Will you keep the Bic? Yes, for my "better half" to use/destroy

Roger

28th October 2010, 06:49 AM

A couple of more questions:
What are the windspeeds that you sail in?
Are you mostly planing with which sail on your Bic Core 293?
Will you be sailing on the ocean in rough conditions, on a lake or river in freshwater
and milder chop?
Any other "conditions" that might affect board choice?
How important is durability.... i.e. do you launch from a rocky shore... a dock... or (hopefully) a sandy beach?
Roger

ejowsurf

28th October 2010, 07:07 AM

>>What are the windspeeds that you sail in? 10 - 30
>>Are you mostly planing with which sail on your Bic Core 293? 6.3
>>Will you be sailing on the ocean in rough conditions, on a lake or river in freshwater
and milder chop? Lakes mainly, some large rivers (e.g. mississippi - lake pepin) no oceans.
>>Any other "conditions" that might affect board choice? No, don't think so.
>>How important is durability.... i.e. do you launch from a rocky shore... a dock... or (hopefully) a sandy beach? Rocky shores and beaches, no docks.

Roger

28th October 2010, 08:50 PM

Hi ejowsurf,
OK, now we have all the info with which to give you a good recommendation.
Your BIC Core 293 is 79 cm wide and has a volume of 205 liters.
With this in mind, and your weight of 190 lbs. (86 Kg.), sailing mostly on a 6.3 m2 (this sail gets you
planing and in the farthest back and outboard footstraps on the Core 293?) I think that a GO 122 or
Futura 122 will work well for you with a 6.3 m2 rig.
I suspect that when you move off the Core 293, you may want to go up one sail size so you are a bit more powered up. Might need to rig your 7.2 with more downhaul and slightly more outhaul.
If you feel this is too large a gap, then the GO/Futura 133 will be good as well.
The smaller 122 liter boards will be a slightly bigger challenge right at first, but if you have the windspeed to be fully powered up on a 6.3 m2 rig (that would be 16-18 knots for me and I'm around the same weight)
then the smaller boards would suit the conditions better as soon as you get comfortable on the new board.
At your weight, I think you will eventually settle for a board in the 96-110 liter range for true 6.3 conditions, but you need to factor in that you are sailing on fresh water and will not have the same buoyancy as on the ocean in salt water.
Hope this helps,
Roger

Ken

28th October 2010, 09:57 PM

Ejowsurf,

Yes - What Roger said.

In deciding between a 122 or 133, a lot depends on how committed you are to mastering the sport. If you get discouraged easily, then the bigger board will provide an easier transition. The biggest difference between the two as you begin learning on a smaller board will be the uphauling. The 122 will be less stable and more difficult to uphaul, but with a little practice and falling off a few times, it will become easier. The board won't sink, but foot placement when you uphaul will be important to keep it level.

You can learn to water start on the Bic or on any board for that matter. You just need enough wind and sail, so at every opportunity (sail upwind of the board and enough wind), give it a try. I learned on my first longboard 25 years ago and had it mastered before I moved to a smaller transition board. However, learning to uphaul an unstable smaller board is an essential skill since you will find yourself in the water occasionally without enough wind to water start.

ejowsurf

29th October 2010, 01:21 AM

Okay! Great! Thanks so much for your insight and advice, I deeply appreciate it. After reviewing both boards, I'm thinking Futura, probably 122 because I love to learn from a good challenge.